Actuator of a hand knitting apparatus



sept' 22, 1959 H. scHuRlcH Erm. 2,904,978

" AcTuA'roR oF A HAND KNITTING APPARATUS Filed April so, 195e Fig. Z

Fig.

nited States Patentl @ffice Patented Sept. 22, 1959 ACTUATOR oF A HAND KNITTING APPAiATUs Herbert Schurich, Berlin-Reinickendorf, and Otto Bimg'e,

, Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany Application April 30,` 1956, Serial No. 581,686

l t Claimspriority, application Germany May 5, 1955 9 Claims. (Cl. 66-78) The invention relates to a hand knitting apparatus and more particularly to a lock therefor.

Broadly, the lock includes a single lowering cam, a lifter cam at each side of the single cam, an auxiliary lowering cam above each lifter cam, yand a spring latch having inclined surfaces operably associated with each auxiliary cam, and arranged at the transfer point between the lifter cams and theiiassociated auxiliary lowering cams whereby during reciprocation of the lock, the needle butts alternately slide once over one latch and push the needles substantially out of the needle bed, and during the next movement slide beneath the latch with the needle butts lifting the latch.

t In the invention, in lieu of a latch being pivotal about a pin or the like, a spring latch is employed, which latch is securely afxed to the lock plate and is formed so as to substantially extend in parallelism to the lock plate, and is provided with an offset portion so formed that during the relative movement of the needle butts from the respective outer lock edge in a direction toward the single cam, the needle butts contact the oiset portion with their head portion, and press the same in sliding over the surface of the latch against the lock plate, thereby overcoming the spring action. In this fashion, the needles move rectilinearly in the space or hiatus between the lower edge of the auxiliary cam and the upper edge of the lifter cam until the same contact the inclined surface of the single cam, and will move downwardly thereon.

After the needles have been lifted by the opposite lifter cam, the needle butts slide along the inwardly inclined edge of the spring latch, with such edge being formed approximately as an extension of the inclined edge of the lifter cam, until the needle butts reach the uppermostl point of the spring latch. The needle butts then cont-act the inclined face of the auxiliary cam to be moved by such cam again in a downward direction, until the needle butts nally leave the lock at the other edge. While the needle butts thus slide along the other spring latch, there is no depression of the spring latch against the lock plate.

The present spring latch is a material improvement over a pivotally supported latch, since in the case of such latter latches which slide with their broad face or surface along the rear wall of the lock plate during their pivotal movements, steps must be taken to avoid the risk that the latches may be deterred in their movement, and eventually even jammed by deposits of oil, dirt, knitting yarn fibers, or other foreign matter. With the present invention, such objectionable features are not present, since the spring latches are solely, flatly supported for oscillation on the lock plate, thereby obviating any rotational movement about a pivot.

Another important advantage of the present spring latch resides in the fact that there is no risk of blocking the lock, regardless of the manner in which the knitting device may be used, since the spring latch is provided at its lower area with a flap with which the latch engages under the respective lifter cam. If the lifter cam is 2 rendered inoperative, by' lifting th same at the guide bolt, then the spring latch is also drawn toward the inner lock plate surface by means ofthe flap.

With latches swingable about a pivot, such an arrangement was not possible, and there was the risk that iiil lifting the lifter cam, the needle butts inthe interior of the lock may strike the inner edge of the latch when the lock is moved, and thereby block the lock, resulting in the relatively easy fracture of the needle bed during rough movement of the componen-ts.

An additional advantage of `the present spring latch resides in the fact that it is possible to easily produce the so-called net patterns, if a disengaging lever for the latch is employed, so that on actuation of the lever the latch becomes inoperative, being displaced towards the inner latch plate surface.

lThe invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a bottom view of the lock of the hand knitting apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the disassembled spring latch looking in the direction of the arrow E in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a top View of the disassembled spring latch;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the spring latch in the direction of the arrow F in Fig. 4, and simultaneously a partial section of the associated lifter cam;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the spring latch; and,

Fig. 7 is another embodiment of a deflecting spring adjacent the top of the lowering cam.

Referring to the drawings, a lock plate is identified 53, and a lowering cam 40 is secured at approximately the center of the lock plate.` At each side of the centrally located cam 40 there is provided a lifter cam, 33 and 34, respectively. With the cams being secured on bolts 33 and 34", respectively, with cams being movable up and down in the direction of the bolts by means of buttons in the direction shown by the double arrow D in Figure 2. The cam 40 may be moved upwardly and downwardly, as shown by the arrow C to permit precise adjustment of the mesh width. Auxiliary lowering cams 43 and 44, respectively, are fastened above the cams 33 `and 34 to the lock plate 53, by means of two pins or bolts 300. The bolts 300 also function as anchoring points for spring latches 301. Each spring latch is provided with a flap or extension 302 pro-vided with apertures 303, and the spring latch is positioned over the pins 300 by means of the apertures 303. As shown in Figure 2, sleeves 304 are positioned about the pins 300, and are slightly longer than the free length of the pins, whereby the iiap 302 is firmly pressed against the lock plate =when the auxiliary cam 43 or 44 is secured.` The resilient portion of the spring latch 301 comprises elongated portion 305, and a substantially triangular guide portion 306. At the outer upper guide edge denoted 307 the latch is bent at right angles to constitute a guide web 308. Lower guide edge 309 of the web 308 is bent again at right angles to provide what might be termed a tappet flap 310, which ap projects in top plan over lower edge 311 of the latch. Hence, the projecting portion of the flap 310 can rest on the bottom surface of its associated cam, such as cam 34, as shown -in Figure 5. At the front end of edge 311, there is provided a projection 312 which extends downwardly and which engages a corresponding recess such as the recess 313 of the cam 34, in such a manner that a small clearance of approximately 0.5 mm. is left at all edges. The projection 312 functions to guarantee proper upper travel of the needle butt. If the projection was not present, the needle butt could easily be jammed in sliding from the lift cam edge to the spring latch edge in the narrow hiatus, which affects free sliding. This danger is particularly great, as the dimensions of the needle butt are within the range of the dimensions of the hiatus, and the hiatus can not be smaller than 0.5 mm., so as to avoid the danger of dragging, and thus of jamming the spring latch at the upper edge of the lifter cam. Due to the arrangement of the projection 312z respecting the recess 31'3 a projection 314 is formed at the front edge of the lifter cam, and the rising needle butt must slide over the projection 314 to reach inclined edge 307 of the latch 301, without any danger of the same entering the hiatus between the latch and the lifter cam.

During the adjustment of the lowering cam, especially in the middle and lower portions, a problem exists, in that duringoperation by a skilled person, the needle butts may contact outer points 315, and thereby block the lock. To avoid this feature, delecting ilaps` llo are bent downwardly at right angles from upper guide rail H7' of the lock within the range of such points, andthe respective outer edges 317 of such flaps extend in the direction ofy the inclined edge of the cam 40. The flaps 316 are arranged on the guide rail 117 in such a manner that they engage under the points of the cam di), and in the range of the points 315 the cam is thinner up to edge 318, whereby the deecting flap may engage this oifset portion of the cam 40 wit-hout contacting the cam, per se.

In lieu of deilecting flaps, dellecting springs may be used. Such springs are shown at 316', and are at springs having an obtuse angle, as at 316, and a portion 317 secured to upper guide rail 117 by spot Welding or the like. Portion 317 bears resiliently against one inclined edge of the cam 40.

To knit net patterns, a ap disengaging lever 320' is pivotable about one of the pins 300, preferably the outermost pin, and the lever engages an offset 321 of the spring latch by a projection 322, and thusv pivots the, spring latch against the inner surface of the lock plate, so that the needles have less movement from tfhe bed. Hence, the previously formed loops of the work do not move behind the tongues of the needles, but lie between the hook and tongue, so that net meshes are formed in. a manner known, per se.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A lock for hand knitting apparatus including a plate, av central needle cam on the plate, a lifter cam on the plate on either side of said central cam, an auxiliary cam on the plate on either side of the central cam and spaced from said lifter cam, a latch component of spring material secured to the plate above each lifter cam and including a flat portion extending` in the direction of the central cam, and an offset on said ilat portion operative during relative movementV of the needle butts froml the edge of the plate in a direction toward the central cam,

upon the head portion of the needle butts contacting thel 3. A lock for handknitting apparatus as claimed in in claim l in which the latch component is provided with an extension having spaced apertures therein registering with spaced apertures in the auxiliary cam, bolt means passing through said spaced apertures to secure the auxiliary cam and latch component to the plate and a sleeveof slightly greater lengththan the bolts, positioned about the bolts, thereby rigidly anchoring the latch cornponent to the plate. v

4. A lock for hand knitting apparatus as claimed in claim l wherein said hat portion is bent at right angles thereto to define -a guide web having an outer guide edge extending substantially in the direction of therinclined edge of the lifter cam, with the lower edge of the web being bent at right' angles to provide a tappet ilap projecting over the lower edge of the latch component.

5. A lock for hand knitting apparatus as claimed in claim 4` in which the forward end of the lower edge of the guide web is provided withy a downwardly extending projection engageable in a recess formed in the lifter cam to provide asmall clearance therebetween 6. A lock for hand' knitting apparatus as claimed' in claim l further including a guide rail along the plateinproximity to the upper edge of the platev thereof, a de ecting flap extending downwardly from said rail in parallelism tothe plane of the plate adjacent the points of the central cam and each tlap having an outer edge extending in the direction of the inclined edge of the central cam.

7. A lock for hand knitting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the central cam is of thinner cross section in the area of the points whereby the deecting flaps may engage such Aarea without contacting the central cam.

8. A lock. for hand knitting apparatus as claimed ini claim 7 further including a deecting spring arranged at the upper edge of each auxiliary cam and having auflat: curved portion engageable over a lateral point of thecentral cam, thereby sealing the hiatus between the upper edge of the central cam and thef guide rail to prevent the needle butts from striking the outer and upper point of the central cam.

9. A lock for hand knitting apparatus as claimed in claim l further including a disengaging lever pivotally connected to the plate and a projection on thek lever con-y tacting an offset on the latch component upon pivotal movement of the lever, thereby swinging the latch com`` portent toward the surface of the lock plate.

References Citedv in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,107 Schwartz et al Dec. 26, v1916 1,497,698 Rielel .Tulle 17V, i924 1,520,479 Parker Dec. 23, 1924 2,150,730 Schuessler Mar. I4, 1939 2,719,418 Yamada Oct. 4, 1955V 2,759,343 Schurich Aug. 2l, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,044 Italy Oct. Z7,- 1953 

